SNL's Beloved More Cowbell Sketch Didn't Originally Include The Cowbell Or Christopher Walken

Most "Saturday Night Live" sketches come and go without much pomp and circumstance. Even some of the funnier sketches get lost to time. But every now and then, a sketch comes along that becomes part of the pop culture lexicon, like the recent Beavis and Butt-Head sketch with Ryan Gosling. The instantly recognizable and quotable "More Cowbell" sketch is another great example. But would you believe that the original iteration of the sketch wouldn't have had either Christopher Walken or the famous cowbell?

Peacock has a new documentary series called "SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night," featuring four episodes that dig into a specific piece of "SNL" history. One chronicles the audition process with never-before-seen footage of auditions from cast members and those who didn't get the gig, another spends an entire week with the writing staff during season 49's excellent episode hosted by "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri, and another looks back at the troubled 11th season of the show, largely considered to be one of the worst. But there's one episode that focuses solely on the inception and the legacy of the "More Cowbell" sketch, and that's where some surprising revelations are made about the development of the sketch. 

To begin with, when fresh cast member Will Ferrell first wrote the sketch, it wasn't intended for Christopher Walken. Ferrell actually pitched the sketch for former cast member turned host Norm Macdonald and the third episode of the celebratory 25th season of "SNL" in October 1999. But for whatever reason, the sketch didn't make it into the final roster for the live show, so Ferrell shelved it, and he wouldn't bring it back until Walken hosted in April 2000. 

But before the sketch made it in front of Walken, one key change was made to the original script that would help push it into comedy history.

As revealed in the "More Cowbell" episode of "SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night," the original version of the sketch actually had Will Ferrell playing the woodblock instead of the cowbell. Even fellow sketch stars Chris Kattan and Jimmy Fallon were shocked to learn that the cowbell was somehow not part of the original pitch for the sketch. But as we all know, Ferrell would eventually change it for another chance at making it on the show.

Ferrell held onto the sketch for a few months, but when Christopher Walken came back to host (one of the best "SNL" hosts of all time), the comedian rewrote it with the actor's famous speech pattern in mind, which was one of the best decisions made in the rewrite. As Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme notes in the Peacock doc, "I think it's best suited in Walken's hands because of his diction," as he adds his own Walken inflection to his words. "He could read the ingredients to toothpaste, and I'd wanna brush."

Furthermore, former cast member Dana Carvey — who happened to appear in the episode where "More Cowbell" debuted as former President George H. W. Bush alongside Will Ferrell's famous George W. Bush impression — made another keen observation, noting, "If you're gonna think of a word for Christopher Walken, woodblock is good, but cow — ow — bell — cowbell. That's perfect for Walken." And you can bet Carvey's impression of Walken's instantly recognizable voice is right on the money when he illustrates how cowbell sounds.

But those weren't the only changes to the "More Cowbell" sketch that helped make it one of the most beloved sketches to come out of "SNL."

During dress rehearsal, you wouldn't have guessed that "More Cowbell" was destined to become a hit "SNL" sketch. Not only was the sketch relegated to the area of Studio 8H ominously and affectionately referred to as "S***can Alley," also known as "Death Corner" and "Coffin Corner," where cast members and writers believe many sketches go to die. As Ferrell notes in the doc, the sketch went "kinda fine," and there was a clear reason for that. 

Fellow sketch star Chris Parnell noted that everything wasn't as heightened as it would be when the sketch made it to the live show, but he also observed something about Walken's performance, "I was surprised low key he was playing it. He wasn't bringing the full Walken to it." "SNL" director Beth McCarthy-Miller echoed that sentiment, adding, "I'm sure at that point he was saving his energy for the air show, because he knew what a long night he was up for." Of course, once the show was underway, Walken was giving it everything he got. Fallon even said that it was like Walken was doing an impression of himself, and "More Cowbell" greatly benefited from his dedication to the comedy, giving us the famous line, "I got a fever! And the only prescription is more cowbell."

But there was one other element that made the sketch soar, and it came from the sketch's creator. During dress rehearsal, Ferrell wasn't nearly as physical in his cowbell playing. On top of that, Ferrell made one more change between dress rehearsal and the live show: He went to the costume department and got a much smaller shirt to wear, one that would eventually reveal Ferrell's hilariously hairy and slightly pudgy belly. That's what would eventually make Jimmy Fallon and Chris Kattan break during the sketch, and the rest is comedy history.